Spring passed and autumn came.
Yan Zu was nearly four years old.
It had been exactly eleven months since the system was activated.
During these eleven months, he had never missed a day of signing in, cultivating, and pretending, gradually integrating the essence of the Nine Yin Manual into his small, young body.
Now, judging solely by his appearance, he was already completely different from ordinary children.
He was nearly as tall as a six-year-old child, with a slender and well-proportioned figure.
His skin was fair, almost translucent, yet it also radiated a healthy rosy glow.
Most striking were his eyes—pure black, deep and unfathomable, as if they could see through people’s hearts.
The villagers often said that the Yan family’s child was growing more and more like a little celestial boy, so handsome he seemed otherworldly.
Over these eleven months, the rewards he obtained from daily sign-ins were varied:
Sometimes it was three Body Tempering Pills, which he crushed and mixed into his food and drink;
Sometimes it was a piece of Soul Power Crystal, which he ground into powder and sprinkled into the well water;
Sometimes it was a pack of spicy strips or a can of cola, which he carefully sealed and stored for later;
Other times, it was a “Basic Herb Atlas” or a “Record of Low-Level Spirit Beast Habits.” He would “accidentally” “discover” these and show them to his parents, greatly improving their efficiency in hunting and herb gathering.
Thanks to these sign-in rewards, Yan Hu’s soul power had increased to level 29, and Su Qing had stabilized at level 25.
Moreover, as her meridians were nourished by the Nine Yin Manual, breaking through to level 26 was just around the corner.
More importantly, both of them were in far better physical condition than before.
The hidden injuries Yan Hu had sustained from years of hunting spirit beasts were mostly healed, and Su Qing’s headaches had not recurred for a long time.
The villagers all said the Yan family had struck it lucky, surely having hunted some rare treasure.
On this day, the sun was shining brightly, and Yan Zu sat on the doorstep as usual, “daydreaming.”
Of course, this “daydreaming” was not the ordinary kind.
In reality, he was cultivating the “Wind Listening Technique” from the Nine Yin Manual—a method to enhance perception.
However, to others, the scene looked rather silly: a three- or four-year-old little bean, chin in hand, eyes vacant, with a glistening strand of drool at the corner of his mouth, as if he had been struck by a paralysis point.
Aunt Wang from next door passed by, glanced at him, and shook her head.
“The Yan family’s child, could he be possessed?”
Su Qing, who was drying herbs in the yard, looked up at her son upon hearing this and replied calmly, “No, no, he’s just been daydreaming a lot lately. Probably his brain is growing.”
Yan Zu: “…” Mother, your explanation is worse than no explanation at all.
After cultivating, Yan Zu returned to his room, closed the door, and silently called out to the system in his mind.
[Consecutive Sign-in: 364 days.]
Yan Zu frowned slightly.
From his observations over these eleven months, it seemed the system rewards followed some kind of pattern.
Daily sign-ins provided basic rewards, and there were monthly rewards as well.
Tomorrow would be the 365th day—exactly one year.
Would something be triggered?
He didn’t know what the specific reward would be, but he had a vague premonition that tomorrow would be a crucial day.
“I must make the most of every day.”
He sat cross-legged and entered a cultivation state once again.
This time, he was no longer content with following the routine of breathing exercises.
Instead, he began attempting to integrate the “Soul Shifting Art” from the Nine Yin Manual—a technique for utilizing spiritual power—into his cultivation.
The Soul Shifting Art was originally an advanced technique from the Nine Yin Manual, capable of influencing the minds of others.
However, Yan Zu discovered that by reversing its principles and turning his spiritual energy inward, he could greatly accelerate its growth!
He closed his eyes, sinking all his consciousness into his dantian.
In an instant, everything around him became crystal clear.
He could “see” the trajectory of the wind outside the window, “hear” the crawling of insects and ants underground, and “smell” every wisp of medicinal fragrance emanating from Su Qing as she simmered herbs in the kitchen.
In this state of ultimate perception, the speed at which the soul power of heaven and earth converged toward him increased by more than double!
One hour later.
He stood up, leaped lightly, and his body floated up like a feather, landing silently on the windowsill.
The Lightness Skill chapter had been mastered.
“What will tomorrow bring?”
He murmured softly, a flicker of anticipation flashing in his eyes.
The night passed without incident.
Early the next morning, before dawn had fully broken, Yan Zu awoke.
The first thing he did upon opening his eyes was to call out to the system in his mind.
[Ding! Today’s check-in successful!]
[Consecutive check-ins: 365 days.]
[Annual critical reward ready. Claim?]
Yan Zu’s heart skipped a beat.
It really exists!
He took a deep breath, suppressing his excitement.
“Claim!”
[Ding! Consecutive check-ins for a full year have triggered the annual critical reward!]
[Congratulations, host, for unlocking your first spirit: Auspicious Beast Qilin (unawakened, already adapted to Innate Full Soul Power)!]
[Spirit Traits: Source of Auspiciousness, Nourishment of Vitality, Concealment of Aura, Totem of Fortune.]
[Note: As the host has not yet undergone Martial Soul Awakening, the Qilin spirit is currently in a phantom state and cannot materialize. However, it is already soul-bound to the host and can be communicated with in advance.]
As the system notification ended, Yan Zu felt a thunderous roar in his mind, followed by a surge of vast yet gentle power flooding into the depths of his soul.
In his spiritual world, a…
puppy?
No, not a dog.
It was a small beast, its body as pure as jade, crystal clear, with antlers like a deer, a tail like an ox, scales like a fish, and claws like a tiger—exactly like the legendary Qilin, except its size was roughly that of a month-old village mutt.
It opened a pair of large, watery eyes, curiously examining Yan Zu’s spiritual world, then opened its mouth and let out a tender, childish chirp:
“Ee-ya—”
Yan Zu: “…”
His first reaction wasn’t “I have a spirit,” but “So cute.”
His second reaction was: This thing…
won’t actually grow into a big dog later, will it?
The little beast seemed to sense his thoughts and let out a pitiful whimper.
Yan Zu chuckled, trying to call out in his mind: “Qilin?”
The phantom immediately responded, rubbing against him affectionately, its demeanor exactly like that of a puppy begging for pets.
“Well, well…” Yan Zu suppressed the excitement in his heart and began to carefully sense this newly born spirit.
Although it was only a phantom, he could clearly feel that serene and ancient aura, truly existing within the depths of his soul.
It was the source of auspiciousness, the embodiment of fortune, one of the foundations upon which he would truly stand in this continent in the future.
“I’ll call you Little Jade from now on,” he murmured to himself.
Possessing a spirit phantom in advance meant he could establish a connection with it before his true awakening, even borrowing some of its abilities early on.
For a three-year-old child, this was an immense opportunity.
Yan Zu tried again to make it conceal its aura.
The little one obediently withdrew all fluctuations, even the light and shadow in the spiritual world dimmed, curling up into a ball like a quiet jade-carved puppy.
“Good boy.” Yan Zu contentedly rubbed its head—though it was only a mental touch, the little Qilin narrowed its eyes in comfort, emitting a satisfied purr.
He continued communicating with the little Qilin in the spiritual world, trying to get it to release a bit of vitality.
The little Qilin opened its mouth and exhaled a wisp of pale green breath.
The breath spread through Yan Zu’s body, instantly filling the entire room.
Then—
The slightly decayed window lattice visibly regained the fragrance of wood; the wilted plant in the corner of the room plumped up its leaves and even sprouted a few new buds; even the cricket under the bed, which had gone into early hibernation due to the winter cold, crawled out drowsily, chirped twice, and then retreated back.
Yan Zu widened his eyes.
And this was just the unawakened phantom!
If it were fully awakened, how incredible would that be?
Could he open a “Withered Wood Meets Spring” sanatorium in the future?
The little Qilin seemed to sense its master’s astonishment, proudly lifting its small head with an expression that seemed to say, “Praise me, praise me!”
Yan Zu chuckled, then reminded it to conceal its aura again.
This time, the little one learned its lesson, obediently ceasing its work and even extinguishing the light on its own.
“Very good.” Yan Zu nodded in satisfaction, suddenly hearing hushed voices outside the door.
It was Father and Mother.
“Qing’er, don’t you think A’zu is becoming less and less like a child?” Yan Hu’s voice carried a hint of confusion.
“I know what you’re thinking.” Su Qing’s voice was gentle and calm.
“But no matter what secrets A’zu holds, he is still our son. As long as he doesn’t harm himself or others, we should support him.”
Yan Hu fell silent for a moment, then sighed.
“You’re right. I’m just… worried that one day he might drift further and further away from us.”
“He won’t.” Su Qing’s voice grew firm.
“I know our child. He holds us in his heart.”
Hearing this, Yan Zu inside the room felt a slight warmth in his eyes.
He turned over, facing the wall, and silently said, “Father, Mother, don’t worry. I will never leave you.”
In the spiritual world, the little Qilin seemed to sense his emotions, gently nuzzling his consciousness and transmitting a soothing warmth.
He spent a little more time interacting with the little Qilin in the spiritual world before reluctantly withdrawing.